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Random Quote: You can make something foolproof, but you can't make it dam-fool proof.
I'm cosidering buying a wooden boat, the boat is in very good condition, with twin diesels, with very low hours, at a great price. The engines alone would cost more that the price of the boat.
Now the problem. I would like to epoxy, or glass the hull below the waterline. The hull is planked.Anyone know how to do this, or who does this, the process, and approximate cost??
if u epoxy r glass the outside u will have to do the inside to. with only one side glassed the unglassed side will still be subjected to moisture. which will cause expanding and contracting resulting in the glass on the outside to come off. also it can cause the boat to rot from the inside faster.
I would assume this boat is more than a few years old. If it has lasted this long without a riot problem don't mess with sucess, but get the names and details of who has maintained it, what they did and what they used.
There is a process where the hull is fastened with thin ply strips diagonally, epoxied and screwed into place, makes the hull stiff and water tight....then covered with cloth and resin.....how old is this boat? regardless have it checked out by a surveryor that knows wooden boats.....Mick
Go to Raka.com, the epoxy suppliers, and ask them. I remember reading in one of their journals that trying to seal both the inner and outer hull of an old wooden boat was a bad idea because it's impossible to seal every nook and cranny. Water will eventually get in and rot it faster than if you left the inside unsealed.
Thanks, still looking for a solution, the boat was made in 1984, but has 2 230 hp yanmars, with 700hrs, replaced 3 yrs ago. The major problem I see is that it's been on blocks since last spring.
I have owned 4 Woodies up to 70'. They rot. No matter what you do, they will rot. You can slow it down, but you can't stop it. If you glass it, you will kill it in a few short years. The only way to epoxy them is to totally take them apart, let everything dry 100%, totally saturate every part with the epoxy. Water will still find a way in.
Even knowing that the boat was built in 1984, it probably has rot somewhere in the hull, that will have to be repaired before anything can be done. IMHO, keep her as designed, repaire what needs to be repaired, and keep her a true woodie.
wooden boat 
